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Jean-Francois, LSU ready to take aim at Tebow, Florida

Oct 11, 2008 - 10:13 AM (3) Louisiana State (4-0) at (12) Florida (4-1), 8:00 pm EDT

GAINESVILLE, Florida (Ticker) -- Louisiana State did not have Ricky Jean-Francois in uniform during last year's season-defining win over Florida. The Tigers hope Jean-Francois' actions speak louder than his words in their next showdown with the Gators.

Jean-Francois and third-ranked LSU face their biggest road challenge of the season Saturday night when they visit reigning Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow and the third-ranked Gators in a game that will have major ramifications in the Southeastern Conference.

One of the most talented defensive linemen in the country, Jean-Francois was serving a team-imposed suspension last year when the Tigers rallied for a thrilling 28-24 victory over the Gators in Baton Rouge.

LSU converted five straight fourth downs and took the lead for good on Jacob Hester's 2-yard touchdown run with 1:09 remaining. Tebow threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score, but the Gators squandered a 24-14 lead.

The outstanding performance was one of the highlights in a Heisman season for Tebow, who became the first sophomore in history to win college football's most prestigious award.

Tebow found his name in the headlines again this week when Jean-Francois made some controversial comments about the southpaw quarterback in an Orlando Sentinel report.

"If we get a good shot on (Tebow), we're going to try our best to take him out of the game," Jean-Francois was quoted as saying in the newspaper. "With his size and heart, it's hard to get a clean shot. If he does get hurt, there's a trained medical staff at Florida, so you can go to the training room on Sunday."

Jean-Francois ultimately backed off those comments in a statement released by LSU's athletic department.

"We never go into any football game trying to hurt a player from other team," Jean-Francois said. "My comments in regard to Florida quarterback Tim Tebow were misinterpreted and were intended to reflect the style of football we play at LSU.

"We have great respect for Tim as a player and a competitor. By taking him out of the game, I meant as a defense we are going to try to make him ineffective. I'm sorry my initial comments were interpreted another way."

Regardless of his apology, Jean-Francois likely has fueled this already intense rivalry between SEC powerhouses.

With a win Saturday, the Tigers (4-0, 2-0 SEC West) would keep pace with fourth-ranked Alabama for the top spot in the conference's West Division.

Coming off a bye, LSU is two weeks removed a 34-24 victory over Mississippi State. Charles Scott rushed for 141 yards and two TDs while redshirt freshman Jarrett Lee threw two TDs for the Tigers.

Lee has been impressive since becoming LSU's No. 1 quarterback in a victory at Auburn three weeks ago, passing for four TDs against just two interceptions in two games.

However, Florida (4-1, 2-1 SEC East) has a clear advantage at quarterback in Tebow, who has eight TD passes and only one interception this season.

Tebow passed for 217 yards and two TDs last weekend as Florida erupted in the fourth quarter en route to a 38-7 rout of lowly Arkansas.

Chris Rainey and Jeffrey Demps both rushed for 103 yards for the Gators, who rebounded nicely from a 31-30 upset loss to Mississippi the previous week.

Aside from the revenge factor, a win against LSU would certainly boost Florida's bid for an SEC title and a possible BCS championship game berth. The Gators still have a road game against No. 14 Vanderbilt following their annual neutral-site grudge match with 10th-ranked Georgia.

Florida and LSU have squared off annually since 1971, with the Gators holding a 20-14-2 edge in that span. Florida owns a 28-23-3 record in the all-time series.